Hope Is a Waking Dream

Chapter 6

Melissa heard a thump and a squish and turned around. The first thing she saw was a dead walker lying face down not two feet from where she was standing. The second thing she saw was an arrow sticking out of its skull. The third thing she saw was Daryl Dixon standing in front of her naked body. She didn’t know which thing to be pissed about the most. She almost forgot she was naked, but the look in Daryl’s eyes quickly reminded her. “Turn the fuck around! I gotta get my clothes dumbass!” She yelled and stomped out of the brook to get her things and went behind the tree to dress. When she disappeared, Daryl came to his senses. “What the fuck do you think you were doing?”
“Getting damn deer guts off me! What the fuck you think?”
“Didn’t mean that! I meant why the fuck were you doing it without your weapon close? Good damn thing I’s watching you or you’d be dinner!”
Melissa stepped out from behind the tree and gave Daryl a thoughtful look. “You were watching me?”
“Holy fuck woman. I’s watching out for ya, not watching ya. Not everything is about you. Good damn thing though, or I’d be putting you down right now.”
“Your right, I was distracted. Should’ve had my weapon closer, should’ve done a few things different. You saved my life. Thank you.” Daryl just looked at her stunned. He just knew she was gonna start laughing at him or say something to humiliate him, but she didn’t. She just took her knife from the rock and walked to him. “I mean it Daryl. No one’s ever saved my life before. Maybe everyone’s right about you. And don’t worry, I was just joking about you watching me. I know you wouldn’t do that.” As she walks past him, he reaches out and grabs her wrist. “Why do you think that? You don’t know what kind of man I am.”
“Don’t matter what kind of man you are,” she said meekly. “I’m nothing to look at.” He releases her and she continues toward the cabin. Why was she disappointed? Did she want him to see her bathing naked? Good God no! She would’ve been humiliated. She was indeed nothing to look at. No man had ever seen her body and no man ever would. Daryl kept a few feet behind her as they walked to camp. As they got closer, the smell of roasting deer filled the woods. Melissa’s stomach stated growling. She had never eaten the squirrel from this morning, not that it would’ve made a difference, but by now she was starving. She knew no matter how much she wanted some she would not take any. It was a matter of principle at this point. She would lose what little ground she held with these people if she gave in so soon. Now she had to worry about Daryl. He seems the kind who would want to flaunt the fact that she had been caught off guard and had to be saved by the brave bowman. If he did, she would not deny it; she couldn’t. She had been distracted thinking about him. Thinking about how different he was around her than those in his group. If they stayed here indefinitely, would things change between them? Could she leave her aggression to the side to get long with him, with them all? She immediately went straight into the cabin and to her bedroom. Closing the door behind her, she stood against it for a while. She could hear them inside the kitchen preparing what they had. She laid on the bed and thought about how much her perspective had changed over the past twenty-four hours.
Daryl went around to the back where the fire was and saw Herschel sitting on one of the logs with Beth, Maggie, and Glenn. “Well hello Daryl. You found something wonderful today. God has provided for us all once again and used you for your purpose.”
“Uh, yeah, listen, can I talk to you for a minute?” Daryl asked. Herschel could tell something was bothering him.
“Of course, son. Let’s take a walk.” They walked towards the area where Daryl, Carl, and Melissa had gone hunting earlier. “Ya know Daryl, I didn’t mean to embarrass you back there, but I believe that God sent you to this group. They need your skills and you need their companionship.”
“Yeah, I know. I’ve changed. That’s kinda what I wanted to talk to ya about. You talked to Melissa this morning, didn’t you?” he asked the old man.
“Yes, after she got back; a few minutes after you returned. Why?”
“I saw something and I don’t know what to think about it,” he said.
“What did you see, Daryl?”
“She let her guard down. If I hadn’t been there, she’d have got bit. Doesn’t seem like her. Don’t know nothing ‘bout her, ‘cept what I’ve seen since last night. She’s just not paying attention. Left her damn knife laying on a damn rock while she’s playing around in the brook.”
“She probably felt safe knowing that you were looking out, son. She’s seen the way you protect us and felt confident you would do the same with her.” Herschel told him.
“That’s the thing though. She didn’t know I’s there.” Herschel looked at him confused.
“Didn’t both you both go out there to clean up? How could she not know you were there?”
“Don’t wanna talk about that old man. She didn’t know I was there. That’s why I don’t know why she’d do something stupid like that.”
Herschel patted Daryl on the shoulder as they continued to walk. “She’s had a lot to adjust to in the last twenty-four hours. She’s had to do many things she hasn’t had to do in a long time. She told me earlier that she’d been along long before all this ever started; she wouldn’t say any more than that. I’m sure she knew what she was doing son. Your right, all we really know about her is what she’s shown us. Maybe we should try harder with her. I remember back at the farm, after that little girl came out of the barn. You were a lot like her then, but Carol brought you back into the fold. Maybe you should show Carol how much you appreciate the effort she made for you and pay it forward. Bring that girl into the family. Show her the compassion that you were given. There is a reason she reacted the way she did when she found us here in her home and there is a reason why she is acting the way she is now. Most of us have tried to talk to her today and I know that you spent time with her too. Why don’t you take her some of the deer she helped you catch today? She might give you the answers you’re looking for if she feels she can trust you.”
“Yeah, ya know I ain’t good at that shit; talking to people, strangers. What am I supposed to say to her? How am I gonna convince her to talk to me like that? Especially after everything we’ve already said to each other?”
“Daryl, you’ll figure it out. Just say the things you’d like to hear. Imagine what it would take for you to open up to someone in this situation. You’ll do just fine. I have faith in you. Come on; let’s get her something to eat.”
Daryl walked into the cabin with a plate of deer, canned veggies, and a bottle of water. He knocked on the bedroom door, but got no response He slowly opened the door to see Melissa laying on the bed asleep. He sat the plate and the bottle on the table next to her and turned to leave. When his hand touched to doorknob, he stopped and looked back to the sleeping woman. Herschel was right, she had reasons just as he did, still does. It would be nice to have someone to relate to, someone who could understand his anger, his fear. Maybe their reasons didn’t stem from the same cause, but anger is anger and fear is fear. He turned around and took a seat in the wood chair beside the door. He just looked at her and thought about what he had seen earlier, what he had really seen. Her body, her beautiful, sexy body. The way she touched herself, the way she was oblivious to his presence. He watched her like a peeping Tom and jacked off to her ignorance. He did feel guilty; maybe he should confess to her and ask her to forgive him. That would make her trust him, right? Hell, he didn’t know. All he knew, right this second, was that he wanted to see her again. He wanted to walk over to her in that bed and touch her. His mind had wondered so far away, that he didn’t see her eyes open. He didn’t see her looking at him.
“Did you bring me food?” Melissa asked, shaking Daryl out of his daydream.
“Uh, yeah. Thought you’d be hungry and since you helped catch it, you deserve to enjoy it.”
“Thanks. I wasn’t really planning to eat, but I appreciate it.” Daryl just looked at her, trying to find something to say that wasn’t stupid.
“Do you usually leave your weapons out of reach when you take a bath?” Daryl asked her.
“Yes, actually, I do. I had something on my mind and was distracted. I’m usually very alert, very aware of my surroundings. You people have thrown me out of kilter. I don’t have anybody to watch my back. I told you this morning, I’ve survived because I know how to take care of myself. Today was an exception and I can’t explain it. I am grateful that you were there. You were right. I could’ve been dinner. I owe you my life. I’ve never been in debt to anyone before and I don’t like it, but I owe you. If you ask me to play nice with you, I’ll do it. I owe you an apology also. I didn’t mean to imply that you’re stupid or the things you say and do are stupid. I’ve never been able to talk to people right. Never know the right words to use. It’ been a long time since I’ve had people to talk to and I’m out of practice.”
“You don’t owe me anything. We do what we do to keep ourselves and each other alive. I couldn’t let you die, even if you’ve been nothing but a pain in my ass. And you don’t owe me an apology for anything either. Plenty of people thought I’s stupid before. Ain’t none of them ever apologize for it, no need to hear it from you. Just eat your food and don’t worry ‘bout me. I’m going hunting again tomorrow, without Carl. If ya wanna come with me, I would’t mind.” He got up and walked to the door, turning back to face her before he walked out. “And you’re wrong, what you said about being nothing to look at. You’re wrong.” He closed the door behind him and went to get his own dinner.